The power that hides in the light

Walking alone. Thinking about it now, I hadn't done that in a long time, actually… It was a relief to be able to think without some other issue being thrown at my head like a bowling ball…

"Good evening, Larry!" My cousin, Carol, crossed paths with me as I headed to the cafeteria. She was accompanied by other girls from our class.

"Good evening, Carol! Good evening, girls!"

"Good evening, Larry!!!!" they said in unison, then giggled among themselves.

Walking alone? No. That was an annoyance to me. As peaceful as being alone might seem for a moment, being admired is a far more gratifying feeling.

"Did you manage to finish all the assignments? I only got through the biology one," Carol said, while the other girls nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too!"

"I got most of them done, except for biology, haha… Can you help me out later?"

"Of course! You help me with the other subjects, and I'll help you with biology!" Tina said almost immediately after I spoke.

"Oh… But wouldn't it be better if we formed a study group with everyone?" Carol suggested, noticing the discomfort among the girls at Tina's response.

"Yes!" the girls said in sync, while Tina's enthusiasm waned.

I grabbed her shoulder in a friendly manner and smiled.

"We can study alone later if you have any extra doubts, Tina."

Yelena, one of the girls, quickly picked up on what was happening and challenged me.

"Why are you giving Tina special treatment?"

"It's because she had already asked me to study with her before. I didn't realize you all had doubts in other subjects too."

Tina gave a discreet laugh while looking at me, and the girls fell silent. You didn't need to be a genius to see what happened here or that Tina's supposed request was something that never existed. Everyone noticed her negative reaction to Carol's response, and the excuse I'd give if they figured out Tina never asked me was that I realized her discomfort stemmed from struggling more than the others.

It wasn't just me who was aware of this "excuse"—Tina knew it too. What was my goal? To actually spend more time with her, or did I think her discomfort was due to academic struggles? Neither. Of course, I didn't intend to start hanging out with Tina, but keeping her tethered to me was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

"How was the soccer game?" Carol asked.

"The other guys are getting better."

"But none of them are better than you, right, Larry?"

"Tina, you're really kissing up to Larry today," Yelena said, irritated.

"Huh? I just gave a compliment! What a paranoid, huh… Is everything 'kissing up' now?"

"She's right, Tina," another girl chimed in.

"Stop fighting over silly things!" another girl intervened.

These ridiculous, childish disputes… All of them trying to do something foolish to impress me while thinking they were undermining each other… It pleased me greatly.

I stayed silent as they sorted it out, walking normally to the cafeteria. When I arrived, I noticed Steven was there much earlier than usual. And more importantly… he was crossing my path again, avoiding Charlotte.

Why did he act like that…? Could it be…?

"Good evening, Steven. Again, sorry about earlier."

"Don't worry, Larry. It was all caused by the manipulator," he said calmly, looking into my eyes.

Idiot… Constantly blaming the manipulator like that would complicate things for you if you were pointed out as one. It was a very risky move.

"But Steven, do you think Charlotte is the manipulator?"

He showed a flicker of surprise, sensing my intentions. Soon, the girls turned to see what was going on.

"No, I don't think so. Why the question?" His posture shifted, as if he wanted the conversation to continue. His tone rose slightly, suggesting I might be walking into a trap. But with Steven, things are never that simple.

"I noticed she tried to start a conversation with you, but you quickly avoided her, giving a short answer and moving elsewhere. Isn't that true, Charlotte?" I decided to press forward.

"I-I don't think it was on purpose…" She looked down, clearly insecure due to the indirect accusation.

Suddenly, Steven's cheeks turned red. No way… Was he really going to do that…?

"Larry… Can we talk in private about this…?"

"Oh… Sure…"

The girls started giggling and whispering among themselves, except for Tina, who looked disgusted. I walked with Steven to a quieter corner of the cafeteria, while Charlotte was also slightly flushed.

"Larry, I know this will spread now, but I have… feelings for Charlotte… I'm not sure how to handle it, so can you give me some advice later?"

"Sorry, Steven! It was all a misunderstanding! I'll make it up to you later, for sure…"

The atmosphere lightened instantly. Steven went to Charlotte, seemingly apologizing, while she laughed, though still embarrassed.

"Wow, Larry! Hahaha! You spilled his secret!" Yelena said, playfully hitting my shoulder.

"Yeah…"

I stayed silent for a moment, feigning embarrassment.

"Girls, I'm going to the bathroom for a bit and will be right back."

"Sure!"

I walked toward the bathroom while hearing the girls say I must be feeling guilty, pitying me, and Carol telling them to hush it up… Guilty?

Once I locked myself in, I couldn't hold back anymore. A wide grin spread across my face, filled with pleasure.

Steven, that idiot… He fell into my trap like a duck.

I tried to stop laughing but couldn't. Craig had said I wasn't on his level… and I had evolved so quickly… Simply fabulous.

"Hahahahaha… Hahahahaha…"

"Someone's there…?"

A female voice came from outside. No. No. No. No, no, no, no! Impossible… I, Larry Winter, had made a fatal mistake.

"Is there a boy in there…? I'm going to call security."

Damn it! If the situation weren't in my favor, I'd already be reported…

I opened the door, and to my luck, it was just one girl: Ashley, a first-year.

"Larry…? What are you…?"

I grabbed the girl in my arms and made a swift move, pressing her against my body, lifting her slightly as I walked out of the bathroom.

"What…?" she said, blushing.

I looked deeply into her eyes, pretending to say something without making a sound. I stroked her hair for a few seconds and waited for her reaction.

"What are you doing…? Stop!" she said, glancing sideways in a specific direction.

I looked at her with a relieved expression, slowly moving toward her ear.

"Can you hear me now? That's a relief…"

"What are you talking about?! Let me go…!"

"Are you sure you're feeling okay? You were delirious about a boy just now."

"What…?" She blushed, not understanding the situation. "What are you talking about? You were the one laughing in the girls' bathroom?"

I slowly released her and looked in the direction she had glanced at when I grabbed her. She, on the other hand, avoided looking there while putting her hand on her head, as if my words and actions had made her dizzy.

"Nathan…"

She blushed again, and when I went to point at him, she grabbed my arm.

"What are you doing?! Don't point at people like that…!"

"Your breathing is still a bit heavy. Try to calm down and clear your mind."

Ashley put her hand on her head and calmed down.

"What the hell happened…?"

I gently placed my hand on her shoulder and looked deep into her eyes.

"You were dizzy and confused, talking about someone being in the girls' bathroom, when you fell," I pointed to the area where she had fallen, near a wall where she could've hit her head. "Then you started delirious, talking about how you wanted to hug Nathan."

She blushed again and asked me to lower my voice, keeping her hands on her head as if her body was processing the feelings of dizziness.

"You also said Nathan deserved 'better' than Chloe…"

Ashley was shocked.

"Larry, please forget that… I…"

"You asked for help, Ashley. You said Nathan was your escape from the pressure of the school's standards of decency. That because he acts recklessly and dangerously, it's something you needed."

She was completely focused on my words. I subtly tilted my head while staring at her.

"I don't know Nathan very well, and listen, I don't even want to right now, but I know this is stressing you out… You said he deserved better than Chloe, but have you ever thought that maybe you deserve better?"

I placed my hand on her forehead.

"Are you feeling better?"

Ashley took a moment to respond.

"Oh… Yes, I'm fine… Thanks."

My expression became more neutral, and I quickly stepped away.

"See you, Ashley," I said as I returned to my table, leaving her confused.

When I sat down, I was met with an unpredictable scenario. Steven was heading toward a group of third-year students, and Bonnie had arrived, looking completely confused about the whispers the students were making about Charlotte and her friend.

Why does he keep acting like everything is orchestrated…? Impossible…!

"Larry, you're back! Everything okay?" The girls greeted me with smiles.

"Of course… It's not like I could get into trouble in a bathroom, right? Haha."

They looked a bit awkward and laughed, as I seemed to brush off the secret I had revealed about Steven.

"And what were you all whispering about?"

"Well, about Charlotte and Steven…"

"Look… I hope this isn't because of what I said to him earlier, since it wasn't a big deal."

"Don't play dumb now, Larry! Hahaha!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but please, let's stop… It's not cool to gossip like that."

"Alright, alright…"

Revealing someone else's secret can initially gain you attention and influence, but in the long run, it makes you seem untrustworthy. Trying to hush it up in a way that makes them think I'm doing my best to protect someone who isn't even that close to me would make it easier to gain the secrets of those around me. Plus, it aligned with the moralistic persona I was playing, of course.

Suddenly, a shrill sound came from Steven's direction. He had been talking to the third-year group just when I was distracted.

"I ask for everyone's attention, please!"

"H-Hey! What are you doing, kid…?!" Kimberly was clearly angry.

"Student council, class leaders, and club members… I need a bit of your time. It's about something important."

Everyone looked at Steven with surprised expressions. He paused his speech, and everyone was eager for him to continue. I subtly glanced at Bonnie Kindness while everyone was focused, and her thoughts were clearly visible.

"What…? Was it all planned…?"

I covered my mouth, barely containing my laughter. The pleasure I was getting from this situation was immense. Jack had predicted Steven's moves, and I had both of them in my hands…

"I believe you know that clubs should accept all kinds of people without discrimination, yet my participation was denied…"

"Stop making a fuss about it. Everyone knows clubs are places for relaxation, not for discussing students' deaths… You're using this 'manipulator' thing to gain benefits!" Kimberly said, interrupting Steven at the perfect moment.

Everyone turned against him, glaring with anger. Murmurs and shouts began to echo through the cafeteria.

What will you do now?

Diana stood up and tried to say something, but was interrupted by another shrill sound caused by Steven's whistle. Everyone immediately fell silent.

"Don't worry, Diana. I was afraid this would happen."

He turned to Kimberly.

"The truth is, I wanted to keep this a secret, but I'll have to speak. The 'manipulator' is directly involved in the clubs, so their control depends on them."

The students were perplexed, not understanding the meaning of those words, including me. I tried to organize my thoughts.

Jack's plan is to use Charlotte as a tool against Steven… In theory, the closer Steven is to Charlotte, the better. That's very good, considering that to gain influence, getting close to her is quite reasonable for him. When Bonnie distrusts everyone except Charlotte, Jack would have someone like me manipulate her to turn against Steven, and together with his ex-friend, expose him. But… something's off. Even though he did keep his distance from Charlotte, indicating he knew about this plan, Steven grew even closer to her after my slight push. Could it be…? Yes, definitely. He wanted me to think my push worked, manipulating my emotions…! But that won't work!

"I planned to unmask the 'manipulator' within the clubs, but I've decided to do it now. If I don't do it today, you can consider me a useless loudmouth. Treat me however you want. Charles and Diana, do I have permission to open a discussion in the council?"

Everyone was shocked by the sudden declaration, except for me, of course.

"We can open a discussion at any time we wish, but we can't force anyone to participate," Diana replied seriously.

"I ask that the class and club representatives come with me, please."

"Class representatives…?"

"Those who have influence in their respective classes. In mine, for example, it's Carol and Larry. I believe these people will be important in our discussion… You wouldn't have any problem helping me reveal the 'manipulator,' right?"

The pressure that sentence exerted in front of everyone was terrifying. Try saying something in front of one person, then in front of a group. The reactions will be completely different. If you refused to join Steven's discussion, especially after he said club and class representatives were involved, suspicions about you would increase. That was a risk I wanted to avoid, and at the same time, I had already predicted my rival's next moves.

"Alright, we agree to go!" All the representatives said, curious about where this situation would lead.

"Tsk…" Even Kimberly had given in, with no other choice.

But I wouldn't let things end like that. My next sentence completely thwarted his plan.

"Steven, don't you think Charlotte should come with us too?"

Everyone in 2-A looked at her and agreed.

"Yes, that's true!"

"Charlotte's pretty popular too!"

Steven seemed worried.

"Well, it's just that she's not as…"

"Steven, I know you're close to Charlotte, but you can't selectively protect her while condemning, for example, my cousin. Do you really know who the 'manipulator' is? And… how can you be sure you're not the 'manipulator' yourself?"

From that moment, everyone would pay attention to Charlotte. Any action she took while I was absent would draw everyone's focus.

Steven stayed silent for a while, his eyes not visible. Time to accept defeat…

"Alright. Charlotte, I ask that you come with us too."

Game over.

Everyone calmly got ready and looked at Steven, who, with tired eyes, led us to the student council room alongside Diana and Charles. Before going, I ensured Steven's failure once more.

"Girls, I ask that you don't trust anything said while I'm gone for now, okay? I fear the worst could happen to you."

Seeing the shocked faces caused by my words, I knew I had conveyed my message. I calmly turned and went with my cousin to the council.

"Do you have any idea what this is all about, Larry?"

"No clue…"

"Hey, you two!" Nathan, the first-year boy I had pointed out earlier, started a conversation with us. "This discussion makes no sense, right?! Why are we all here if the photo in that post was from 2-A?!"

"Well… Because…"

Steven turned quickly, as if he had found an opportunity to escape. I wouldn't let that happen.

"Steven probably figured out there's not just one 'manipulator.' Besides the one who took the photo, there could be accomplices in other classes, right?" I said, staring at him.

"Yes…" There wasn't much he could say at that moment. There were indeed two manipulators, and denying that would only make him sound more contradictory when he had to announce it later. His chance to stop the discussion was quickly thwarted.

We finally arrived at the council room. I'd been here a few times, but I still couldn't help but admire the decorations. Red carpets, golden walls, large chandeliers illuminating the entire space… It was like a royal hall. It took us about 10 minutes to get here and 20 to show our credentials to the night security. Dinner must have been wrapping up by then.

Charles sat at one end of the table while Diana sat at the other. Steven took a seat in the middle, and Kimberly sat opposite him. The other students filled the remaining chairs.

"Begin, Steven Honleast!" Charles said, staring at him.

"To start… I'd like to make an accusation against Kimberly Olseen, from 3-B."

"Alright. Elaborate," Diana said.

"According to school rules, anyone should be able to join the club they want, yet I was prevented from doing so by Kimberly Olseen without her giving a specific reason."

"Do you have anything to say, Miss Kimberly?" Charles asked.

"Mr. Steven Honleast, I did indeed prohibit you from joining the club, and I thought the reason was clear. Our study group has rules and requires a peaceful, disruption-free environment, which you would clearly break by joining, considering you implied your goal in entering the club was related to the 'manipulator' case you're always talking about," she said calmly, without a hint of emotional imbalance.

That was a solid argument, but not perfect.

"Mr. Steven, your turn."

"Miss Kimberly, I've heard rumors about you. You reportedly banned other students from joining your club in an authoritarian and emotional manner, yelling and losing your patience. Why—"

"Objection."

"Granted," Charles passed the floor back to Kimberly.

"Do you have any proof that I did this, Steven? Or are you bringing up these 'rumors' just to attack me personally?"

"Your turn, Steven."

"No. I don't have proof, but my intent wasn't to attack you personally. All I wanted was to bring up this information so people know your behavior regarding club admissions has always been very emotional. With that—"

"Objection."

"Granted."

"Once again, you're talking about me personally, Steven. Yet you still provide no proof. If I banned anyone, I did so logically and always followed the club's rules, as in your case."

"Steven, your turn."

"… If you'll excuse me, may I go to the bathroom for a moment? I'll take less than five minutes."

"… You have permission to do so."

Idiot. Steven planned to go to the bathroom to call someone… Bonnie Kindness. Since Charlotte wasn't in the cafeteria as he had planned, he'd improvise to follow through with his plan. But whatever it was… it wouldn't work.

After four minutes, he returned with a fake expression of readiness. It's over…

"Well, I'll continue the discussion… Miss Kimberly, you say I don't bring proof, but what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't believe you knew my intentions for joining the club were related to the 'manipulator,' and even if you suspected, you couldn't have been sure. Thus, you were indeed discriminating against me."

"Even so, Steven, that was your intention…"

"Yes, it was, but that doesn't change the fact that you're still subject to punishment under school rules, since it was impossible for you to be certain. And that's the least of your mistakes… How are you so sure my plan to find the 'manipulator' would necessarily disrupt the club's peace and break those rules?"

"Tsk…! Wasn't this discussion supposed to unmask the 'manipulator'?! What does this have to do with anything?!"

"About that…" Steven looked down, with a defeated expression. "I'm sorry, I won't be able to unmask the 'manipulator.' What I really wanted was to help my friend who couldn't join the study club, and knowing the student council is very busy during the day, I used the situation to get attention."

Kimberly quickly realized the same thing I did.

"Tsk…! Actually, you—"

"But even if I were executing a plan to expose the 'manipulator' now, it wouldn't make sense to say so, right? After all, that would hinder me. No one here has any reason to help the 'manipulator,' I believe."

Kimberly stayed silent, unable to say much. Charles yawned and then took the floor.

"Well… Then this discussion will end with an appropriate punishment for Kimberly Olseen. Considering she broke one of the school's rules, the proportional punishment will be her removal from the cl—"

"That won't be necessary, Charles. My only goal here was to ensure my friend could join the club, and I believe she won't be prevented after this discussion. I want to withdraw the accusation."

Everyone was extremely disappointed and angry with Steven, except for Charles, Diana, Kimberly, and me, who understood what really happened.

"Hey, you know no one liked what you did, right?! You dragged us out of dinner for this nonsense… It seems more like you're exploiting your friend's suicide to get what you want!" Nathan said angrily, followed by the other students.

"Indeed, there's not much I can do about that. I said you could judge me based on this discussion, and that's what I want you to do."

"Tsk. Idiot."

I glanced at Steven, knowing my victory. He smiled back at me and went to talk to Charlotte.

Hahaha… Your reputation is in the gutter now, and I doubt you managed to do anything with the students not at the discussion through the call you made in the bathroom. It's definitely over for you.

"Wow, Larry… So Steven was doing all this for Bonnie, huh?"

"That's what it seems. I don't know anyone else who's not in a club and is friends with Steven, haha."

"Hahaha, true… Are you heading to the dorm now?"

At that point, there wasn't much to be done. The cafeteria was already closed, and whatever Steven tried to do, he surely wasn't successful.

"Yeah. I'm going to sleep now, it's late… I recommend you do the same, don't overwork yourself at night, cousin," I gave her a light punch on the shoulder while laughing.

"Haha, sure! Good night!"

We parted ways, and I walked to my dorm alone again. I checked the class group chat messages, and everything seemed to be going as expected. They were still asking about what happened in the discussion.

I'll let Steven answer about his failure… Well, either he does, or someone else will.

I took a shower, lay in my bed, reviewed some material, and reread some books of interest.

The truth is, nothing anyone does from now on will stop me. Waking me up was the worst decision they made. That's what I thought until, suddenly, my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered quickly, still cautious because of Steven.

"Larry… Andrew did something horrible during dinner… I need you to help me…!" It was Tina, saying that… Andrew…?

No, that's impossible… Andrew couldn't influence anyone… Unless…! Damn it…!

"Tina, what happened…? Calm down and tell me everything, slowly…"

"When you left… that jerk Andrew started saying Steven had made a plan to unmask the manipulator, and the instructions were in a contract he'd hand out… At first, everyone was curious, but after we realized Steven had taken you out of the scene, we questioned that jerk…!"

A contract…? Yes, Steven would use contracts not only to ensure they kept their word but to make the situation more serious. If a criminal can be caught for their cooperation, why refuse…? If you did that in public, you'd quickly become a suspect. But humans are emotional creatures, and of course, they'd turn against Andrew, an extremely suspicious figure, especially when the plan is conveniently executed when I'm not around.

"And then Andrew started saying confusing things, like you weren't really a suspect but someone being used by the 'manipulator,' who, according to Andrew, was at the table…"

There are clearly holes in Tina's story. That means either she's being used by Steven Honleast, or…

"Larry… They set up a plan to corner you… But before I tell you… Do you trust me…?"

I knew it. Andrew used the brewing negative feelings toward Tina to create a figure more hated than himself.

"Of course I trust you. Don't worry."

"Andrew tried to incriminate me…! He said I was manipulating you, but you know that never happened…! Peter stood up and said he'd sign, since he had nothing to fear, and soon all the girls and boys were signing the contract, making me sign too…!"

I was a figure admired by the girls in class, and of course, the boys were jealous of that. Not only that, but Tina's constant brown-nosing made her disliked by the girls.

But Steven was an idiot. So he called Andrew, huh? Haha… That's why his plan wasn't effective. I could be sure everything Tina said was true… She'd tell me the contract's rules loud and clear…!

"They got carried away, Tina… But don't worry, I trust you."

"Oh, Larry… Thank you…"

"But what's Steven's intention…?"

"So, the contract's rules were that I couldn't talk about the contract to anyone until a certain time, and we had to follow the 'class discussion' Steven would propose tomorrow. The contract also guaranteed he'd definitely expose the 'manipulator' if the discussion was held, and we wouldn't be harmed."

"I see… Did you sign?"

"I signed… I felt pressured with all those eyes on me…"

Heh. Steven thought Tina wouldn't tell me because of her fear of being expelled… Idiot.

"It's okay. Do you have any idea what the discussion's goal is?"

"Andrew said he'd expose one of the manipulators, and then the other would surely try to cover for them. He said it as if you and I were the manipulators, but still, everyone signed…!"

That's obvious. They'll decide for themselves whether Steven was convincing or not, after all. There was nothing in the contract forcing them to condemn the one exposed or covered for.

More importantly, this wasn't about me and Tina… It was about me and Jack.

"This is really annoying, Tina… But don't worry. If he really plans to condemn us, Steven will only embarrass himself. After all, neither of us is the 'manipulator.'"

"But Steven seems pretty sharp…"

"Don't worry. His plan just got thwarted, after all."

Yes. Because Andrew was the one who spoke, not someone with more influence, he had to resort to attacking Tina. That's exactly why Steven was worried during the council discussion. The only way he could incriminate me was by making me defend Jack, whose crimes must have already been discovered, and that's because I've never committed any condemnable act directly. If I did nothing, it was simply impossible to lose.

"You're right…" Tina said tiredly, yawning.

"Don't stress about it, Tina. Go to sleep, haha. Good night."

"Good night…"

After hanging up, I lay in my bed and visualized my victory.

I won't defend Jack. I won't defend Jack. I won't defend Jack. I won't…